Villagers — Darling Arithmetic≈ “Když jsem přemýšlel o písni na vlastní pěst, bylo to podobné olejomalbě: mohu dát něco do popředí, také vytvořit vrstvy. Ale s kapelou se to ukázalo spíše jako akvarel..., totiž vytváříš jakési bílé exponované kousky papíru, takže nic není příliš důkladně vymazlené. Píseň je vždy kompromis mezi tím, co si můžu představit a čeho můžu dosáhnout. Při psaní si myslíte, že každá píseň se chystá změnit svět. Ale když budete hotovi, je to jen píseň. Jsem rád, když zažívám něco z toho dobrodružství a někomu jinému by se to mohlo líbit. Chci dělat hudbu, která otevře něčí mysl a k tomu, že..., musím začít s otevřením té vlastní.”≈ Villagers, a solo vehicle for Irish singer/songwriter Conor J. O’Brien, specializes in atmospheric, indie folk/chamber pop that balances the youthful exuberance of contemporaries Jens Lekman, Eugene McGuinness, and Johnny Flynn with the classic rock and pop of artists like Paul Simon and Robert Wyatt.Style:≈ O’Brien is noted for his dark lyrics — “an eerie sense of disquiet”, according to The Guardian. The New York Times’​s Jon Pareles compared them to The Frames, U2 and Leonard Cohen after witnessing a live performance in New York City in 2010. Formed: 2008 in Dublin, IrelandLocation: EarthAlbum release: April 14, 2015Record Label: DominoDuration: 36:12Tracks:01 Courage 4:4702 Everything I Am is Yours 3:3003 Dawning On Me 3:2004 Hot Scary Summer 4:2005 The Soul Serene 4:1006 Darling Arithmetic 3:4207 Little Bigot 3:4908 No One To Blame 3:3509 So Naïve 4:59Members:≈ Conor J. O’Brien — vocals, acoustic guitar; ≈ Tommy McLaughlin — electric guitar, mandolin, backing vocals; ≈ Daniel Snow — bass, guitar;≈ Cormac Curran — keyboards, backing vocals; ≈ James Byrne — drums♠ “Nevnímám sebe jako člověka pro lidi. Pro mě jsou to stále jen písně, které jsou na jevišti.”♠ O’Brien je jedním z nejsilnějších nových lyrických hlasů, jaké se objevily v posledních letech: něco jako fluidum a filozofický povrch hravosti Paula Simona a poetické hloubky Joni Mitchell. “Nemyslím si, že je to poezie. Hodně jsem používal stejný rým, stejné schéma pro každou píseň. Původ má v hudbě, ale nebyl jsem nadšen, pokud jsem si ji přečetl zpětně v mém notebooku.”♠ O’Brien je prvním v anglické literatuře z University College v Dublinu, a mohu mluvit výslovně o příbuznosti s postmoderní americkou poezií a práci básníků jako Frank O’Hara {(Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara (March 27, 1926 — July 25, 1966)} a John Ashbery (July 28, 1927, Rochester, New York, USA). “Je to trochu elitního smetí — akademické věci, ale je to úžasné, protože to zpochybňuje samotnou podstatu jazykových klišé a systémů víry a to může být docela náročné.” O’Brien je velmi přesný ve svém použití jazyka, zatím jeho písně zůstávají otevřené a není vždy snadné zachytit jejich podstatu.Description:♠ Darling Arithmetic is the third album from Villagers, released on 13th April 2015. The follow–up to Conor O’Brien’s debut, Becoming a Jackal, and its successor, Awayland — both hugely acclaimed and Mercury–nominated — is a breathtakingly beautiful, intimate album entirely about love and relationships.♠ Darling Arithmetic was written, recorded, produced and mixed by O’Brien at home — the loft of a converted farmhouse that he shares in the coastal town of Malahide to the north of Dublin — revealing a single-minded artist at the peak of his already considerable songwriting powers. It encompasses the various shades of feeling — desire, obsession, lust, loneliness and confusion, and deeper into philosophical and existential territory, across a cast of lovers, friends, family and even strangers. Backing up his supple and emoting vocal and guitar is the subtlest palate of instrumentation — piano, Mellotron (which accounts for the album’s occasional horn and cello tones) and brushes. O’Brien plays every instrument on these exquisite, melodic songs in a sparse, spacious, acoustic–leaning fashion.♠ On Darling Arithmetic, O’Brien doesn’t only pare back his use of language but looks deep into his own heart and motives. The opening track and first single, ‘Courage’, concerns the most important kind of love — for yourself: “It took a little time to get where I wanted / It took a little time to get free / It took a little time to be honest / It took a little time to be me.” ♠ _____________ ♠ ≈ With a 100% record for Mercury Prize nominations following their first two albums, Becoming a Jackal and {Awayland}, third collection Darling Arithmetic is a shoo–in for more of the same — occasionally bombastic — winning formula of folk rock from Villagers, right? Not so. Main man Conor O’Brien has chosen a different approach, although perhaps not intentionally from the outset.≈ Villagers have always been O’Brien’s baby, but Darling Arithmetic goes the whole hog. With recording, mixing, production and virtually everything else including the playing of all instruments performed by just the man himself from the loft of his current residence, a shared farmhouse conversion just north of Dublin, the initial demos laid down by the singer have remained largely free from further tampering. Inevitably, this will prove to be divisive for the considerable following the Irish band have developed over several years since forming from the ashes of O’Brien’s former band The Immediate in 2008.≈ Lead single and strong opening track Courage epitomises the new stance, being a stripped back, sparse affair with a gentle sheen of percussion and a subtle backdrop of atmospheric electronica. There have been a couple of other teasers for the new album as well as the single — Hot Scary Summer and The Soul Serene; with the collection tagged by O’Brien as a “universal love album”,the singer delves into his own life experiences more so than before to put together the most personal output of his career, the former being a prime example of his new found openness.≈ A tale telling of homophobia surrounding his youth where he remembers “kissing on the cobblestones”, this superb cut is full of pent–up, powerful emotion, where acoustic guitar blends with Mellotron backing as he tackles his own sexuality and the issues it caused. The latter is another acoustic effort where he “tried to figure out what it all means” amongst “chameleon dreams in my mind”; like many of the tracks here, the beauty is in the subtleness of delivery, allowing the lyrics to breathe in easy surroundings of delicate atmospherics.≈ The piano plays a pivotal part in many a cut, such as the hauntingly beautiful, sparse acoustics of the title track. No One To Blame is another to benefit from the tinkling of the ivories, giving off a smoky nightclub feel for a sorrowful number where a strong vocal melody comes to the fore: “I’ve got no one to blame but myself,” he croons, with an unintentional double meaning appearing, as the effect of the change of direction will undoubtedly rest at the singer’s feet if the new course backfires commercially.≈ Perhaps the most memorable moment arrives early on: Everything I Am Is Yours is a stunner, its descending piano hook giving instant satisfaction in a collection that is sure to test listeners, but things aren’t always rosy in the album O’Brien has also described as being “entirely about love and relationships”. Little Bigot does get a little too close to the boredom O’Brien apologised for during the middle section of a Glastonbury performance before picking up after three minutes for a more rousing finale.≈ Darling Arithmetic even has its own ‘micro–site’ but the emphasis should be placed on the ‘micro’ here, as the content is considerably on the light side. The album itself reflects the minimalism of its site. But lyrically it is rich pickings for those that savour the words so often masked by either sheer noise or mumbled vocals, as O’Brien proves how he has developed into a rather impressive poet. Go elsewhere if your appreciation of Villagers cannot see past their more renowned guise but you’re missing out; with Radiohead and PJ Harvey tied at four Mercury Prize nominations apiece, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see Villagers close the gap to just one come the next round of 12 in the autumn. ::♠♠♠♠♠::

Honours:≈ Villagers are the only act from Ireland to have been signed by Domino Records. ≈ Jape’s Richie Egan has said of O’Brien: “That gentleman embodies everything I hold dear about music”. He spoke of feeling inspired after attending one of their early shows, at a time when he himself had just won the Choice Music Prize.≈ The Irish Times placed them at number six in a list of “The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now” published in April 2009, commenting: “from what we’ve heard and seen live so far, Villagers generate the type of music (sparse, eerie, casually dishevelled, tangibly cool) that will spread beyond the confines of niche appreciation into a great blue yonder”.Mercury Prize:≈ Becoming a Jackal was nominated for the Mercury Prize on 20 July 2010, with the judges describing it as “a record of great charm and mystery”. According to The Guardian, “an eerie stillness” occurred when the song "Becoming a Jackal" was performed at the event announcing the nominations.Artist Biography by James Christopher Monger≈ Villagers, a solo vehicle for Irish singer/songwriter Conor J. O’Brien, specializes in atmospheric, indie folk/chamber pop that balances the youthful exuberance of contemporaries Jens Lekman, Eugene McGuinness, and Johnny Flynn with the classic rock and pop of artists like Paul Simon and Robert Wyatt. Formed in the late 2000s, after the breakup of his band The Immediate, O’Brien began writing his own, solo material. A 4–track EP appeared in 2009 and was performed entirely by the Irishman. ≈ He soon realised that to re–create his burgeoning ideas live he would need a band, so he hastily recruited Tommy McLaughlin, Danny Snow, James Byrne, and Cormac Curran. There was a quiet buzz about O’Brien’s new project from the music critics and fans, which eventually transferred into support slots for Neil Young and a European tour with Tracy Chapman. The Dublin native’s debut album, Becoming a Jackal, was released on U.K. independent Domino Records in 2010. The record was highly praised across the board and went on to receive a nomination for the coveted Mercury Music Prize, while O’Brien won the prestigious Best Song Musically and Lyrically Ivor Novello award for its title track in 2011. Toward the end of 2012, the band announced the release of the first single from their sophomore album, “The Waves,” which marked a slight change in direction and introduced an electronic influence to their indie folk sound. The hotly anticipated follow–up to their debut, wayland, came in early 2013.:: http://www.allmusic.com/MySpace: https://myspace.com/villagersWebsite: https://myspace.com/villagersLabel: http://www.dominorecordco.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearevillagersFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/VillagersAgent: UK/EUROPE: pwilson@caa.com / USA: mike@windishagency.comVillagers interview with Conor O’BrienNeil McCormick meets the extraordinarily talented Conor O’Brien of Villagers, who has created the first great album of 2013.By Neil McCormick, 12:51PM GMT 11 Jan 2013 :: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/9790537/Villagers-interview-with-Conor-OBrien.htmlInterview:http://www.universityobserver.ie/music/interview-villagers/___________________________________________________